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Chapter 37 - Hatchling
Fairy Tail: Paths of the Soul After a long day of gaming and Shelly's house, fueled with soft drinks and more snack food than was probably necessary, sleep eluded Amber that night. She was reminded of eating herself sick at Harbors café the day after returning from there first job, but luckily, she wasn't feeling that bad.` She passed some of the night reading another book Shelly let her borrow, even into the early hours of the morning. She didn't like it as much as the first, but at least it was something to keep her eyes from glancing at the clock every few minutes. Eventually she did nod off, but not before realizing that the one or two chapters she intended on reading had turned into almost half the book in a single sitting. Axel was gone by the time she awoke the next morning, as was Zeke. A single lap of the house was all it took to make her realize she didn't want to be stuck by herself all day, so she wasted no time in grabbing some food and getting changed. Remembering to lock up with the key Axel had given her, she and Armeria set out for the guild. It was a relatively uneventful walk, Amber kicked at the stones along the road to alleviate her boredom, wishing she'd run into someone to talk to along the way. Merow City was big, but not big; she was bound to run into somebody, right? Unfortunately, this was not the case. She made it the whole walk without seeing a single other person. She stepped through the gate into the courtyard, wondering who would be there today. Her heart jumped when Isa stepped through the guild's double doors by the time she was half way across the courtyard. She appeared to be half asleep, but perked up a bit when their eyes met. "Oh... Hi Amber." "Hello." Amber waved, trying to see past her into the guild. "Are you busy?" "A bit..." She nodded, but the dark bags hanging under her eyes made Amber suspect she was being modest. "Sorry, I can't stick around. Jaina is waiting for me." "Oh..." Amber waved goodbye as Isa headed for the gate, but felt a little disheartened. "Ok, bye." "Cheer up, I shouldn't be too long." Isa poked her head around the corner of the gate one last time. "Besides, you've got a visitor. You should go say hi." Surprise was Amber's first reaction, but Isa was gone before she could ask for clarification. Her first thought was another council mage, here to ask her a bunch of questions that she probably wouldn't want to answer. Then again, if that was the case, Isa would definitely have warned her about it. She didn't really know anybody from town either. One of the waitresses from Harbors Café had recognized her a couple times, but she doubted wither they'd make the fifteen-minute walk out of town just to pay her a visit. Without any clue as to who it'd be, Amber decided to just go inside and see what happened. Stepping inside, Amber barely had enough time to let her eyes adjust to the light before she heard an exuberant, booming voice in her ear. "Companion Amber!" Terra jumped up from a seat at one of the middle tables and rushing to her side. She roughly grabbed her shoulders, a look of sheer admiration plastered across her face. "Is it true you rescued that creature?" To say Amber was confused would have been an understatement. "Uh... What creature?" Terra tilted her head to the side, also looking confused. "The egg, which you rescued from the..." "Terra!" A shout echoed through the guild building, which Amber followed to find Shelly standing in the opened back door. "You'll ruin the surprise!" Hearing that, Terra released her grip instantly. Amber stumbled, realizing that she had almost been lifted off the ground, while Terra quickly bowed apologetically. "Oh, I am sorry. You just arrived, did you not?" "Y-yeah." Amber nodded quickly, then shifted her attention to Shelly. "What's going on?" "Do you remember Miki?" Shelly asked excitedly. Amber thought a moment, but shook her head. "She was the woman from Aged Pelt, you met her on your first job." Thinking a bit lounger, Amber nodded her head. "I think so." "Well, that egg we got from the swamp hatched." She said, practically jumping from foot to foot while grabbing Amber's hand. "C'mon, she came by to let us meet her. She's really cute." As Shelly began dragging her away, Amber was doing her best to follow the conversation. "Her?" She was trying to remember the details of that job. It hadn't been that long ago, but for some reason the details eluded her for a moment. "You mean the kitsune? The fox thing?" Shelly stopped at the door, looking like she wasn't sure what to say. "Well..." She shook her head and pushed the door open, giving Amber a big smile. "Just come and see for yourself." She led her through the back door and into the arena, where Amber noticed a small group of people huddled around a table in the middle of the room. She noticed Shelly's brother Leo first, glancing over his shoulder at her with a vague disinterest. Carra was standing a little behind him, with Chico hanging in her arms. Something was different about her though; the pigtails where gone, and her hair almost hung down to her knees. Jon and Elligr stood by the far wall, admiring whatever the others where looking at from a distance and chuckling to themselves at something Elligr had said. Scanning the room, Amber found one more familiar face, though this one didn't belong to a guild member. She wore a long white robe over a knee length purple dress. Her purple hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, and kind purple eyes met her gaze. "Oh..." Amber mumbled, remembering the face instantly. "Miki..." "Hello Amber." She said with a warm smile. Anyone who hadn't seen her enter was now looking at her, which made Amber a little anxious. Without missing a beat, Miki stepped away from the table and approached. "How have you been?" "F-fine." She mumbled, relaxing a bit as the others returned to whatever they where doing. "So... What brings you here?" "I was running an errand." She explained, glancing back at the table Leo and Carra where huddled around. "I couldn't really leave her alone, and we where in the area, so I thought I'd stop in." "Hey, hey." Shelly began tugging on her arm, pushing Amber forward slightly. "C'mon, show her." Miki nodded, chuckling a bit at her excitement. "Yes, I believe you should have a chance to meet her as well." She stepped towards the table, beckoning for her to follow. "It's only fair after all, considering the risk you all took getting her back." Amber nodded, excitement growing in her chest. "Ok." "A warning through." Miki stopped her just short of the table, blocking her view. "She is an infant, so try to move slowly." Amber nodded again, and Miki stepped aside with a smile. "Well then, let me introduce you to the newest member of Aged Pelt: Maya." Miki gestured to the table, and Carra and Leo stepped side. Sitting on the table was a small, white, fuzzy creature with it's back to her. It was standing on four legs, and a slim tail brushed back and forth across the table. Two small... Things sat on it's back, tufts of hair and skin that Amber couldn't identify. Two tufts sat on either side of it's head, which Amber guessed where it's ears, though they where a little small for a fox. The thing turned its head, and a pair of brilliant blue eyes sat atop a short, hooked beak. Wait, a beak? Fox's didn’t have beaks. The more she looked at it, the less it looked like a kitsune, or any other sort of dog, for that matter. Its front legs looked like that of a large bird, and after a bit of study, Amber realized the things on it's back where folded wings. It wasn't fur covering its body either, but feathers. "Uh..." Amber was at a loss for words. "What...?" "You should see your face." Shelly said with a cheeky giggle. "Not quite what you where expecting, is she?" Miki perked up in surprise. Apparently, she wasn't in on the joke. "You didn't tell her?" "Nope." Shelly shook her head, a giant grin plastered across her face. "I thought it would be more fun if she found out herself." "It's..." Amber began, slowly catching on. "Not a fox..." "Maya is a griffon." Miki explained, trying to alleviate any confusion as quickly as she could. "Do you recall when Rondo initially explained the job to you, and your brawler friend questioned whether a dog would come from an egg?" She seemed to become irritated through her explanation. Not at anyone in the room, but it was clear that there was one person in particular that she held responsible. "As it turns out, we should have taken him more seriously." Amber looked at the creature again, finding it looking up at her from the table. Staring into Maya's bright blue eyes, Amber found herself with mixed feelings. On the one hand: she and the others got attacked beaten up searching for the egg of a creature that may well not exist. But on the other hand: Shelly was right. This thing was adorable. "So, it was a griffon egg?" She asked, looking back over her shoulder. "Yes." Miki answered her with a tired smile. "She hatched only a day or two after you left Treetop. You could imagine our surprise at the time..." Miki chuckled again, but somehow sounded slightly sinister. "And... Now Rondo is forbidden from doing business without me." Elligr and Jon both began to laugh. Amber didn't get the joke, but smiled all the same. "Can I touch her?" It sounded weird talking about the little griffin like she was a pet, but curiosity was getting the better of her. "If you're careful." Miki nodded. "Just remember, griffons are predatory creatures. So-." "She bites!" Elligr shouted, holding up a hand with a bandage around his index finger. "Hard!" Despite the warning, Elligr never lost his grin, so Amber figured he was exaggerating. She slowly reached out, only for Maya to push her head into her hand. It was startling at first, but the soft feel of her feathers against her skill and the slight purring noise she made melted Amber's heart. "So cute..." She muttered under her breath. "Yes, we've found she's quite affectionate to strangers." Miki mused, crossing her arms under her chest. A small smile crept across her face, a break from the seriousness she always seemed to exude. "How about you sweetie?" She said, glancing at Carra. "Want to come a little closer?" Clutching Chico against her chest, Carra quickly shook her head. "Um..." Her eyes where locked onto the tiny talons on Mayas forelegs, as well as the hooked beak currently nuzzling Amber's hand. "No thanks..." Amber pulled her hand away, trying to encourage her. "C'mon Carra, she's really ni-Aah!" Amber clutched at her scalp when she felt a sudden tug on her hair. Maya held a lock of her long blue hair in her beak, and was slowly backing away while thrashing her head from side to side. "What's she-?" "Maya!" Miki shouted in a scolding tone. She picked the tiny griffin off the table, holding the back of her neck. "Maya, let go." It wasn't immediate, but Maya eventually opened her beak and shook Amber's hair out of her mouth. "I'm really sorry, I forgot to warn you about that..." She mumbled apologetically. Still clutching the lock of hair Maya had grabbed, Amber shook her head. "I-it's fine." She took a look around to see everyone's reaction, and it was pretty much what she expected. Shelly covered her mouth with her hands, masking an all too obvious smile, and Jon and Elligr snickering indicated that she wasn't the only one who through it was funny. Leo looked a little bothered, but that was probably because Carra seemed to be using him as a shield between herself and the griffin pup. She was still holding Chico tightly, a little too tightly, it seemed, but now her change in hairstyle made a little more sense. "Does... That mean she's hungry?" "Well, no. Hunger is something else." Miki mused, fighting back a bit of a snicker. "We think it's a trait from living in the wild. Griffin pups will bite onto the tail of an adult, then glide along behind them in fight to build up strength in their wings." Miki crossed her arms and gave Maya an annoyed look, but it soon turned into a smile when she saw her big blue eyes staring expectantly back at her. "At least, that's our theory. We really couldn't say without another griffon to compare to." "Does that mean she wants to learn to fly?" Shelly said excitedly. "Can she fly now?" Miki seemed to mull it over in her head for a little bit, but shook her head. "She can glide fairly well. She's made the trees of Treetop town her own personal playground. But... Taking off remains a bit of a weakness of hers." Maya whined, like she was aware they where talking about her. They all chuckled, and Carra inched a little closer. "How do you practice taking off?" A slight pause told them all that there wasn't really an answer, but Miki tried her best all the same. "We've tried towing her around a bit using a rope. Rondo's magic enables him to fly, so we're hoping she'll figure it out herself with a bit of practice. But I cannot, so we're a little out of luck if that's what she wants." "Oh..." Shelly huffed disappointingly, dropping her shoulders. "I would've loved to see her fly..." Without thinking, Amber grabbed at her belt. Armeria let her fly, or levitate at the very least. If Miki was OK with it, she could probably-. "I can fly." Before Amber could really make up her mind, Leo raised a hand and stepped forward. He quickly glanced back at Shelly, who's eyes instantly lit up with admiration. "I mean... You know, if it'll help." Silence filled the arena. Miki looked surprised at the offer, but after a few quick glances between the siblings, she smiled and nodded her head. "Well, thank you for the offer but..." She looked at Maya again, looking like she was having a hard time deciding one way or the other. "You know what, why not? Just so long as you keep it slow." "Really?" Shelly beamed. Miki nodded slightly, and Shelly instantly grabbed Leo in a big hug. "Oh my god, you're the best Leo!" Leo's face lit up bright red, and he had the biggest smile Amber could ever remember seeing from him. She decided to step back and wait with Carra while Leo listened to Miki's instructions. Seeing as how Leo had already volunteered, Amber figured there was no point in mentioning that she could fly as well. Given how happy both Shelly and Leo looked, and how she could only ever remember them fighting, she didn't want to be the one to ruin the moment. Waving her hand in a circle motion, Miki summoned a smoky looking bubble in the air. Her arm disappeared inside it for a moment, and when it remerged she was holding a small rope with a Y handle at either end. "So, don't start off too fast." It was probably the fifth time Miki had said that while getting ready, but Leo nodded silently every time. "Try to make wide turns, and try not to go too high off the ground, alright?" She sounded like a fussy mother, and everyone snickered when Carra pointed it out. "Ok, so..." Crouched down and with Maya standing on his back, it only now sounded like Leo was having second thoughts. "Here we go..." He began to glow a slight gold color, and gently lifted off the ground. His clothes appeared weightless, and his shaggy hair flowed like the wind. Slowly, he began moving forward, tracing around the arena walls. He made it a full lap of the building before Maya unfurled her wings. Leo sped up a little more as she began to flap furiously, looking like a cat about to pounce into the air. After another slow lap, Maya jumped, ushering a collective gasp from everyone present. It looked like she was merely hanging by her beak for a moment, but soon her wings unfurled completely and she soared back up behind the young mage. "Oh wow, she's doing it!" Shelly cheered. Leo completed another two laps of the room, and Shelly's smile seemed to grow each time he passed overhead. "She's really flying! That's so cool!" Biting her lip, Miki apparently decided not to correct her. "She's doing pretty well so far." She mumbled, despite breaking out in a nervous sweat. "She might be getting tired through, she's not quite use to long flights just yet." "Oh, really?" Shelly asked in surprise, before she and the other all looked up again as they made another pass. Maya looked like she was doing fine to them, but then again all she was doing was gliding. Just as Leo came around again, Shelly called. "Hey Leo! Come down for a second!" Slowing slightly, Leo nodded and began to descend, and eventually touched down just as he made another pass. He skidded across the dirt field of the arena, but eventually found his footing and looked back at the group. "Something wrong?" The others jogged over to where he'd landed, led by Shelly. "Nope." She said with a big smile. "That was awesome Leo. She really flew." "Yes, thank you Leo." Said an appreciative Miki. "You've got far more self control than Rondo. I think that was the best lesson she's ever gotten." Leo's checks flushed a deep red as Maya jumped up, clawing at the edges of Miki's robe, and screeched. "I think she thinks so too." Amber stayed back from the others. Leo was the star, so she didn't feel like there was anything she could add to the conversation. Besides that, however, there was a warm, fluttering feeling growing in her chest. She couldn't tell what it was, but it started the moment Maya left the ground. "Ah, looks like I'm a little late to the party." Amber almost jumped when she heard the smooth, authoritative voice of the guild master behind her. "Feels good to make a difference, doesn't it?" Ignoring how Davin seemingly been able to enter the building without making a sound, Amber spun around to face him. "What does that mean?" "Well, Terra told me she'd been kicked out of the arena for being too loud, so I thought I'd come see what all the fuss was about." He gave a small smile, which shrunk when he noticed Amber's confusion. "Oh, you meant about the, making a difference, thing; didn't you?" "Yeah..." Amber nodded. Davin chuckled a bit, scratching his head and bowing apologetically. "Well, Shelly told me all about what went on in Telmer swamp. So, consider this..." He paused to take a large breath. "Had you not arrived when you did, that egg would have hatched in the presence of that dark mage you fought. The one who controls animals." Glancing at the small griffin again, Amber realised it went much deeper than that. If Maya had hatched within that safe, she'd probably have starved to death. A realization that made her shudder. "Oh..." "So..." Davin continued. "Where it not for you and the others, that little pup might not be alive right now." He finished on a rather grim point, but remained smiling throughout the explanation. "And just look at those smile on my kids faces. I'd say that makes it worth it, wouldn't you?" Seeing the Vamiro siblings, Amber had to agree. She'd seen Shelly smiling all the time, but never really with Leo. And it was a nice change seeing him smile for once too. The fluttering feeling returned, and Amber clutched her chest. "Yes sir." Se mumbled with a smile. "Still stuck on sir, huh?" Davin chuckled. Amber didn't really have a response; it was still weird to think about the guild master as anything other than her superior, even if he seemed to approach everything so casually. She shook her head, which made Davin laugh. "Forget it, call me whatever you like." Amber nodded again, and Davin began to approach his kids. "Hey guys, so who's the guest?" Miki bowed as he approached, but Amber still decided to hang back. It wasn't just Leo and Shelly, everyone seemed to be having a good time. Even Miki, who carried a serious look on her face at all times looked much more relaxed. And seeing as how the guild master had already pointed it out, Amber couldn't help but feel like the credit was hers. It might have sounded selfish, but she didn't really care right then. Because the guild master was right, it really did feel good to know she made a difference. Next Chapter – Gravity Category:Chapter Category:Chapters Category:Storyline Category:Paths of the Soul